Description: Teachers add the food coloring
to the water in the saucepan. Then add the corn flour, cream of tartar,
salt and oil and cook over a low heat, stirring continuously. As
the "dough" begins to cook, jelly like lumps appear. Carry on cooking
until the mixture becomes one large lump, resembling dough.

Now place the dough in a dish to cool.
Once it is cool, it can be kneaded like normal dough. It may feel
a bit oily at first, but this will disappear with use. Store in an
airtight tub.

Comments: This is particularly useful with
children with coealic disease or who have a gluten free diet.

Preparation: In a large bowl, mix ingredients
listed above. After mixing, knead well. Store in an airtight container
or heavy plastic bag for up to 2 weeks. Preschoolers have lots of
fun kneading the dough.

Dramatic
Play: Playdough Finger PuppetsDuring this art and dramatic play activity
preschool children gain experience manipulating dough, develop sensorimotor
skills and move through sensorimotor play into symbolic and dramatic play.

You will need: Purchased or teacher
made play dough, small items such as, raisins, cereal, small
marshmallow or stones, sticks, small pieces of fabric to use as eyes, nose
mouth and hats.

Preparation: In a large bowl, mix ingredients
listed above. After mixing, knead well. Add food coloring as
desired. Store in an airtight container or heavy plastic bag for
up to six months.

Teachers encourage children to put a blob
of dough onto one finger and mold dough into a face shape covering the
finger. Give faces personality by adding eyes, nose, mouth and hat.
Encourage children to make at least one other puppet.

Engage puppets in conversation. Teachers
may need to encourage symbolic play by asking (through a puppet of their
own), questions which the children can answer."My, you are certainly nice looking, What
is your name? Mine is Stacey, I am a firefighter. What do you
do?"

Children can engage their own puppets in
symbolic play or participate with another child. If a child does
not wish to engage in this type of play, do not force him/her to do so.

Cooked
PlaydoughTeachers cook the playdough and young children
have the tactile fun.Sally contributes this recipe saying,
"This is a manipulative and open-ended type of activity
that any age child can do. A Great way to develop those fine motor skills
that the children will need for learning to cut or write".

Put all ingredients in
a heavy saucepan sitr constantly over med. heat until themixture forms a ball.
Remove from heat, knead well. Store in an airtight container.

Toddlers and older
children can enjoy open ended activities when you add cookie cutters, presses,
rolling pins and plastic knives or forks, . Some of the boys like to add
small animals to this activity and cover them up. No matter
which way they play they can be as creative as they want. Plus, this
playdough is is non toxic, so there is very little worry about the toddlers
eating it.

Comments: I like to
change the cookie cutters and cookie presses for different holidays and
seasons. The children love to see what they can create.

Playing
with "Gritty Playdough"Encourage youngsters to experience manipulating
this teacher made tactile playdoughfrom Carol A.

Description: Combine all
ingrediants and cook until dough pulls away from the pan. Be sure
to stir continuously. Cool then divide and give some to each child. Giving each child
a small ball. Place shells in the middle of the table and guide the childen to make shell
prints.

Recipe
for "Fireworks Playdough"Linda P. offers this teacher made
preschool recipe saying, "Playdough will assist in
the development of fine motor skills".

Materials: Playdough
- see below for recipe or use your own.Black edicol dye and
multicoloured glitter.

Cook until mixture congeals
and pulls off the side of the pan. Cooking time will be greatly reduced if
you use boiling water - although not suitable if children are involved in the cooking.
When cool enough, knead in colorful glitter.

Description: Mix sawdust
with paste in bowl. Add enough water to make mixture like soft putty.
Squeeze and pat modeling mixture into desired shape. If desired paint
when dry.

No
Cook "Coffee Dough"Preschool and kindergarten children use
fine motor and creativity skills during this early childhood sensory activity
by Marian V. Make neat refrigerator magnets or small
Christmas ornaments.

Description: Mix flour
and salt together. Make a well then add instant coffee to water. Stir
this into flour and salt. More water or flour may be added to form a soft dough
ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate. When ready, roll out and cut out with cookie
cutters into desired shapes. Bake @ 325° for 1 to 1½ hours.
Have fun!

No
Cook "Oatmeal Dough"Add this easy playdough recipe by Michelle
to your collection of teacher made materials.

Oatmeal
Dough Recipe2 cups oatmeal1 cup flour½ cup water

Description: Combine
ingredients. Knead well. This has a very different texture, is easily
manipulated, and looks different. After drying finished projects
can be painted.

Goop
Recipes and ActivitiesGoop is a pourable, semisolid material often
made by combining water, tinted with a touch of food coloring, with cornstarch.

CornstarchDebbie contributes this explanation
of Goop saying that is a great way to explore touch and texture, solid and liquid.

Materials: Cornstarch
and Water.

Description: Mix the
cornstarch and water together. Use just enough water to make it like play
dough. When you try to pick up a handfull, it feels hard like a solid. Once you
have some in your hand, it drips off like a liquid. If you put your hand in fast
it feels hard and when you put your hand in slow it feels soft. Explore.

Comments: Easy clean
up. It dries and sweeps up.

Marker
PressDuring this early childhood activity by
Debbie
preschool children can transfer theirdesigns from Goop
onto paper.

Ingredients:Cornstarch WaterCake panPaperMarkers

Description: Mix the cornstarch
with water, this is called Goop.
Not too much water. Pour the Goop
mixture into a cake pan and level out. Let each child create their own
design by using markers. Color and draw on the Goop
mixture. When each child is done take a piece of white paper and
press onto the design. Remove paper and let dry. The design is now
transfered onto the paper.

Comments: This is a
neat thing to do when you're talking about color. All the colors from the
markers run and mix together making new colors. A very fun thing to do!

Dinosaur
EggsTwo year old preschoolers
discover what is inside of an egg after patiently awaiting it's time to
hatch. Earlene B. even includes her secret recipe for Sand
Goop.

Materials: Plastic
eggs, small dinosaurs and teacher made Sand Goop.

Sand
Goop Recipe1 cup sand½ cup cornstarch½ teaspoon
alum½ cup water.

Cook on medium heat stirring
until thick. Cook to touch. Put dino into the plastic egg and
cover with Sand Goop.
Place in "nest".

On Monday, talk about
dinosaurs and how big their eggs were. Show the children the "eggs"
YOU found. Say, "Look how big they are. What kind could they be?"
The eggs should still be wet. Tell children that we have to watch
them until they turn white and crack. When ready, let children finish cracking
them open and find their dinosaur.

Comments: At circle
time, the children can't wait to look at the eggs to see if they
are ready

Description: Take 1 cup of cornstarch,
to one cup of water, pour both onto a cookie sheet with high sides and
mix well with hands (food color can also be added to make colors).
As the child picks up the cornstarch , the child will notice it is a stiff
form, but by holding it in his or her hand, it dissolves and goes
back to liquid.

Cornstarch
GooBobbi-Jo D.
suggests this recipe and sensory activity for Goop
which is also known as Slime.

Materials:TrayCornstarchWaterFood coloring

Description: Place cornstarch
in a tray. Add a little water and food coloring to make a paste. Provide
toys for the children to play with in the goo. The children like the melting
of the cornstarch as it heats up and runs through their fingers. Make sure
the children wear smocks, this is a messy activity.

Goop!!Jayne S. uses
this version of "goop" to help young children develop small motor and creativity
skills.

Description: Mix equal parts of
flour and salt and water add food coloring and put them in pouring
bottles. The children paint on paper plates. When the plates dry the plate
sparkles. This activity needs a sunny day.

Comments: I found this
recipe in a old book 10 years ago, and have been using it ever since.

Oobleck,
Clay & MoreHere's Oobleck,
which
is always green,
for both small and large groups of preschool and kindergarten children.
You'll also find several wonderful recipes for clays.

Oobleck
for
Small GroupsThis recipe by Marian V. can
be used along with the story "Bartholomew and the Ooobleck" or to just
explore and experiment with different textures.

Procedure;1. Pour 4 cups
of water into the big pot. Add fifteen drops of green food color.
Stir gently but thoroughly.2. Empty all
four boxes of corn starch on top of the green water.3. Add two cups
of UNCOLORED
water on top of the corn starch.4. Begin mixing
the water and corn starch with a strong spoon. The mixture will be
Very difficult to mix at first.5. When the
mixture is no longer so tough. Begin mixing with your hands until theOobleck
is smooth as has a very even consistency.

If the Oobleck
is too runny, add a little corn starch and mix again.If the Oobleck
is too cakey, add a little water and mix again.

Storage:Oobleck
is best used within two to three hours of being made. However, it
may be stored almost indefinitely in an airtight container within a refrigerator.
It is important to use a refrigerator because the Oobleck
is a wonderful growth medium for molds and bactera; but the cold will prevent
fungal and bacterial growth.

After storage, you
will probably have to add some water and you will certainly have to thoroughly
mix the Oobleck
to achieve an even consistency.

Funny
PuttyPreschool children
have fun exploring what this Funny
Putty by Valerie V. can do.

Description:1. Mix white
glue and food coloring together in a glass bowl.2. Pour liquid
starch into a second glass bowl. Slowly pour the glue mixture on
top the liquid starch.3. Allow the
concoction to stand to 5 minutes or until the glue absorbs the
liquid starch.4. Remove putty
from bowl and knead. At first the mixture may look as it it's a
mistake, but it isn't. The more you knead the putty, the better the
consistency
will be.5. Store Funny
Putty in a plastic Easter Egg or zip bag.

Comments: Press
Funny
Putty down on newspaper or comics. Slowly
pull the FunnyPutty
off of the paper. The picture will transfer magically onto the putty. Roll your Funny
Putty into a ball and bounce.

GlurchThis recipe from Gayle D. seems a
little like the above Funny Putty,
only in larger quanities.

Glurch
RecipeOne cup of white glueTwo or three cups
of liquid starchFood coloring or liquid
paintLarge plastic bowl
for mixing

Pour one cup of glue into
a bowl then add food coloring. Next, pour starch into the glue and mix
until a it forms into a large gummy like ball. Each time the children
play with it you will need
to add a little more starch to keep it from sticking to everything.
It is pliable enough to form an object and then watch it melt back into
a ball. The children love it.

Clay
BugsPreschool and Kindergarten children use
fine motor and creative skills as they work with this teacher made clay
from Shari R.

Materials: Materials
to make the clay, paint and anything else to add to the bugssuch as; pipe cleaners,
googly eyes, etc.

Method: Stir together
the cornstarch, baking soda and water in a saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium
heat, stirring CONSTANTLY
untill it reaches a slight moist, mashed patato
consistantly. Turn the clay onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth. When the
dough is cool enough to handle, knead the clay like doughuntil it takes on
a plastic consistency. The clay is now ready to use! It can be stored in the fridge
in a tight container for up to one month.

Let the children mold
the clay into what ever they want. A lot of my children made ants. Let
dry, the drying process is slow it takes a couple of days. Then the creations
can be painted.

Comments: This is a
great recipe for claydough! It is the best one I have ever used.

Description:Teachers combine sand and cornstarch in
an old pot. Add liquid starch and mix. Cook the mixture over
medium heat while constantly stirring. Eventually the mixture will
thicken and turn into dough.

Remove pot from the stove and knead it 20-30
seconds before using. Let Sand Castle Clay Sculptures dry until hard.

Comments: You can color the clay by adding
1 Tbs. of powdered tempera paint to the mixture before cooking.

Sand
CastlesYoungsters use fine motor, sensory and creative
skills during this preschool activity by Tresa.

Description: To make Sand
Castles the children can take home with Sand Dough.
Mix in an old pan. Stir 5 - 10 minutes over medium heat until thick. Cool,
then store in a plastic
bag or container until ready to use. This yields enough for 4 -6 children.

Give each child a small
amount of the sand dough and allow them to use various items to decorate
the dough with. You can also use sand molds to make permamnent molds
of sea creatures or other themes, the ideas are endless. These will dry
hard when left to dry for a few days.

Comments: This works
very well and the creations dry rock hard. But you need to let them set
for a few days or more without touching them.

Spicy ClayKym offers this tactile and olfactory
sensory activity that is also an art project.

Description: Mix ingredients
together, knead together. Let sit for ½ hour. Roll out until about
¼ inch thick. You may need to dust the surface and the rolling pin in spices. Cut
out shapes with cookie cutters then make ribbon holes with a skewer. Let
dry for a week. Paint and thread with ribbons.